Les 7

Our 39th wedding anniversary was a few days ago.  We wanted to go somewhere special, but the place we had in mind, "Les 7", was completely booked.  So we postponed our celebration.



August 21, 1976

Much older, but still in love

It's difficult to keep from squinting when that sun in shining right in your eyes!  But Karl managed to get a good selfie.


Anyone following this blog will know that we have not lacked in wonderful meals.  In fact, I can't think of one that didn't meet a resounding vote of approval.  But sometimes, there's a restaurant that just stands above the rest.  "Les 7" in Tulle is such a restaurant.

We started off with a Kir Royale, one of our favourite drinks.  It's a sparkly wine (or champagne) mixed with cassis liqueur.

The décor was simple yet elegant..

The amuse-bouche was a small glass of chilled tomato soup over a creamy brebis cheese, covered with a spoonful of pistou and topped with a few crunchy seeds.  As you mixed things gently, the soft cheese thickened the soup.  Just the right amount of spice to tease the palate. 

Pistou is somewhat similar to pesto, although it lacks pine nuts.  It's made from cloves of garlic, fresh basil, and olive oil.

 

 

 

The soup was served with these very small cheese puffs.

I had the most amazing salad!  At the very bottom was a crispy galette, or biscuit, made of vegetables and covered with a flavoured cream that one could use for a dip.  Then a variety of vegetables were layered in a pyramid, with these spicy, thin little crisps topping things off.

If I could deconstruct the salad, I would find green beans, tiny little balls of zucchini, yellow peppers, pimento, slivers of fennel, and a few herbs and spices such as dill and poppy seeds.

There was no vinaigrette to smother the taste of each individual vegetable. Every bite was a pop of flavour. 

 

Karl had an amazing pickled mackerel, which he loved since it reminded him of German rollmops (which are pickled herring fillets).  He also had a scattering of veggies and herbs and spices that dotted his plate.  The presentation was very appealing.

 

We ordered a "Château Court-Les-Mûts, Cotes de Bergerac".



My main course was "volaille et truffle".  An incredibly tender chicken breast was rolled with truffles at its centre, and served with a splatter of jus.  The potato was actually shaped like a bone marrow with a hollow in the very top to absorb some more of that rich, delicious jus, and topped with a few more slivers of truffle.  I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

 

Karl had a souris d'agneau (lamb), rolled onto itself and covered with a thin layer of fat to keep it moist and tender.  Karl wasn't able to describe the exact sides that came with it, or the purées that accompanied everything, but he just kept repeating how everything was so tasty.  It certainly looked incredibly delicious.

The next course was a choice of cheese from the "plateau de fromage".  You could also add walnuts, chutney or honey to your plate.

We took slices of Cantal, Comté, a soft brebis cheese covered with pepper, and Rocamadour.  Such a wonderful transition from meal to dessert.

We both ordered the same dessert, which was a "chocolat bombé".  Another exquisite creation!  There was a soft cookie base covered with a chocolate mousse that was so light it melted on your tongue.   Raspberries were strewn throughout this mousse and the whole dome was covered with a creamy chocolate.   To complete, raspberries and slivers of chocolate added an artistic touch.

 

 

Karl's café crème.  Just to make sure we didn't go home hungry, the final bouchée was sugar coated strawberry fruit jellies, and lemon marshmallows. 

 

You could not improve on this dinner, nor with the service.  Nous étions comblés.